HLnovel Episode 118: The "Tiger Parent" - Emperor Kangxi
Episode 118: The "Tiger Parent" - Emperor Kangxi
The Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty
Upon hearing Lin Ke's words, Emperor Qianlong was filled with rage!
What does it mean to be a stamp-stamping maniac?
Those are all my family's things. What's wrong with me stamping them and writing a review? Who does it bother?
Now it's her turn as a descendant to speak!
……
Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty
Upon hearing this, Kangxi's eyes were filled with anger, but he did not lash out. Instead, he emanated a chilling aura as he stared intently at Lin Ke on the screen.
Liang Jiugong, who was serving nearby, was inwardly groaning. It was no fun when His Majesty got angry!
Thinking of this, he frowned and quickly searched his mind for a solution. However, if His Majesty really wanted to punish the princes, how could he, a mere servant, possibly have a say?
Meanwhile, the princes vying for the throne were utterly incredulous, their faces showing expressions of disbelief. However, no matter how much they couldn't understand or how unwilling they were to accept it, the undeniable fact was before them.
In fact, not to mention them, even the Fourth Prince himself couldn't believe that he would be the final winner!
……
Back to the live broadcast room.
Lin Ke continued, "Let's first talk about how Emperor Kangxi 'tiger parents.' 'Tiger parents' refers to parents who, hoping their children will excel, constantly arrange learning and courses for them, relentlessly pushing them to strive and work hard."
"Getting back to the main point, according to records, most of the princes in the Qing Dynasty would start studying in the Imperial Study when they were four or five years old, and it wasn't the kind of easy, low-intensity course. So how did a Qing Dynasty prince spend his day?"
"First of all, these princes would be woken up before dawn to prepare to go to the Imperial Study, which was around 3 to 5 a.m. They would then have to walk about three miles to the Imperial Study."
The Qing Dynasty writer Zhao Yi once described the scene of the emperor's class like this: "At this time, some officials had not yet arrived, and only a few people from the inner palace came and went. In the still dark sky, many princes were half-awake, leaning against the pillars and pretending to doze off. However, they could already vaguely see the light in the study, so the princes went straight in."
"Then, at the hour of Mao (5 to 7 o'clock), the teacher who taught the princes also arrived. The course was also fully scheduled. First, they had to learn Manchu, Mongolian, and Chinese."
"Then comes the essential Confucian classics, such as the Four Books and Five Classics, followed by the books in the History, Philosophy, and Literature sections, and finally some calligraphy and painting writing classes, including poetry writing, etc."
"Do you think the class is over now? It's a pity, the younger princes don't have to come in the afternoon, but the older princes have to attend until 5 pm."
"As for holidays, Emperor Kangxi stipulated that only holidays such as New Year's Day and Mid-Autumn Festival, or Emperor Kangxi's birthday or his own birthday, were holidays. Of course, whoever's birthday it was, they got the holiday, and everyone else had to continue attending classes!"
A poor student from the Song Dynasty: Damn, I thought it was just my dad who forced me to study all the time, but I didn't expect my dad still loves me, otherwise it would have turned out like this!
The father of a certain academically challenged boy in the Song Dynasty (angrily puffing out his beard and glaring): You brat! What are you thinking about your father?!
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: Looking at this arrangement, I'm really about to faint!
First Emperor: No wonder there was a struggle for the throne among the nine princes!
Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty:.........
"Under such intense pressure, it won't end even after the princes get married. Even if you move out of the palace and build your own residence, your tutors will move in with you. In this way, Father Kangxi will never have to worry about the princes' studies again!"
"As a qualified prince, one must also learn to ride horses and shoot arrows. So the Imperial Study set aside an area specifically for the princes to train in riding and archery. But here's the question: can one really improve by practicing at home?"
"So Kangxi also had a place called Mulan Hunting Ground, which is located in an area between the capital and Inner Mongolia. In addition to Kangxi's own entertainment, it could also be used to train his children in riding and archery, and to improve their physical fitness. There's nothing wrong with this idea of his."
"Especially according to the diary of the French missionary Jean-François Gerbillon, Emperor Kangxi was truly risking his life to train his princes in courage and boldness."
"In the summer of the thirty-first year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, the Kangxi Emperor brought good news to his princes: they were going on a trip—no, a hunting trip!"
"Seven princes accompanied him this time. The youngest, Yinzhen, was only nine years old and had just recovered from an illness. Kangxi didn't care whether you were well or not; he just let them go hunting."
"Once, several princes surrounded a large bear. The situation was very critical. Kangxi seemed to have everything under his plan. He even ordered Yinzhen to shoot it. Although he was wounded by an arrow, he later shot another arrow and successfully killed it."
"It is undeniable that the princes educated in this way would certainly be very good at riding and archery, not to mention anything else. Kangxi's education of the princes did not stop there."
"When it comes to governing a country, one cannot ignore war. As a prince, one must also learn how to fight. Therefore, when Emperor Kangxi personally led his five sons on his first campaign against Galdan, he also took them with him, ostensibly for their education."
"This military training didn't involve following Emperor Kangxi into battle. Instead, he placed the princes in the various camps of the Eight Banners, where they ate and lived alongside the lower-ranking soldiers. No matter what prince you were, you had to share the hardships of war with the soldiers."
Emperor Kangxi of the Song Dynasty: It has to be said that Emperor Kangxi was quite remarkable, especially in educating his children!
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: Princes who can withstand this level of intensity will not be too bad when they grow up!
Liu Zhuzhu from the Great Han Dynasty: Now I understand what it means to raise someone like a venomous insect! They are all very outstanding, but they just can't stand the original crown prince!
........
"In addition, Kangxi would also take his princes to study scientific practice, thanks to the teachings of Western missionaries."
"For example, Emperor Kangxi once witnessed a solar eclipse, which was known in the past as the 'heavenly dog eating the sun.' He had his princes operate instruments and observe the eclipse with telescopes to help them understand how it was formed. Such examples were not uncommon."
"If Kangxi educated all these princes very well, why did the struggle for the throne among the nine princes still occur? Part of the reason actually lies with Kangxi himself."
"He himself ascended the throne at the age of 8 and remained in that position for a full 61 years. Whether it was the crown prince or the other princes, they had all waited a long time. So much so that when Emperor Yongzheng ascended the throne, he was already over forty years old, no longer young. I doubt that any of the crown princes had much patience!"
Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty: Grandfather, you are truly amazing!
Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty: ...........
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: He really lived a damn long life!